So I am naturally a procrastinator…. I know, I know, I should be more proactive about getting work done in the shop, but I find myself always waiting til the last minute to try and get things handled or completed. I wait til deadlines have been set, and then wait to crank projects out. I have been doing this my entire life it seems. Though I am not lazy, I just prefer to wait until the last second to get things done. But I can tell you I am pretty productive with my time when the work has to be done.
There are some projects that I could work on for days straight and then there are others I just don’t enjoy. After numerous projects on ones I liked doing and others that I dreaded, I started to recognize a pattern, the projects I enjoyed doing I wasn’t procrastinating! There will always be projects that we don’t enjoy as makers, but I want to offer these tips for procrastination in the shop (Even though I need help from time to time with them too).
- If you don’t enjoy doing it, your probably not performing at your best. And your customer isn’t getting the best quality either. Maybe pass on future projects of this type.
- If your dreading the project, knock it out as quickly as possible. Get it done so you can move onto the projects you enjoy more.
- It is too difficult and you bit off more you can chew. If you’re running into this, reach out to others in the community who may know more about the subject. They can be great resources for those issues.
- You’re stressed out. Maybe you need to take a time out or just walk away from the project. Do yourself a favor and take a walk, do yoga, play with your kids and come back to it later when you are ready (Although it may not help with the procrastination part, it may help you with productivity)
- You have lost your passion about the work. Do yourself a favor, write down the things you don’t like about it. Why don’t you like it? Why aren’t you doing your best work? Have you lost your passion?
- Stop scrolling through your phone, put it down. The social media can wait. If you really care about what your trying to achieve, your friends posts, tweets, Youtube videos can wait. Place your phone in another room, walk away, or give your phone to your spouse to hang onto while you get work done.
When I walk through these, 90% of the time I can understand the road block and why I am procrastinating. I may have to use two or more of them to get through a project, but I always manage to work through the solution. I hope these tips helped, now go forward and build.